In a digital economy where milliseconds can make or break a sale, most companies are failing the test.
Conviva’s 2025 State of Digital Experience Report reveals that 91% of global consumers encountered a poor digital experience in the past year, and they aren’t sticking around to give second chances. The report, based on 223 million user sessions and a survey of 4,000 U.S. and UK consumers, reveals that customer impatience with digital friction is at an all-time high, costing companies dearly in revenue, loyalty, and brand perception.
When faced with digital frustrations, like broken pages, login failures, or app crashes, 55% of consumers abandon their purchase entirely, 50% defect to a competitor, and nearly 40% cancel subscriptions.
The data also reveals how small technical flaws compound into business nightmares. If poor experiences account for just 2% of a user’s time on a platform (up from 1%), engagement drops by 42%. Meanwhile, companies that manage to deliver a near-perfect experience see users spending up to 6.5x more time on their platforms.
Two in five consumers report feeling angry when digital services fail. About 10% say the frustration made them physically ill. And nearly half of the respondents believe companies simply don’t care.
Patience equation
Twenty percent of shoppers will abandon their cart if checkout takes longer than 10 seconds. As Conviva puts it, there’s a new “patience equation” at play: every 1% uptick in poor engagements reduces a user’s likelihood of returning by the same margin.
For brands in high-touch sectors like hospitality, the stakes may be even higher. Nearly 50% of surveyed consumers say a seamless booking experience makes them more forgiving of negative reviews. In short, even bad PR can be softened if the app or site works flawlessly.
However, the reverse is also true. According to Conviva, 93% of consumers will return to a digital service that delivers a great experience. But that goodwill must be earned, session by session, second by second.